The invention relates to a method for debasing coins.
The invention furthermore relates to a device suitable for carrying out such a method as well as to coins that have been debased by means of such a method.
The debasing of coins, for example when coins are taken out of circulation in order to be replaced by new coins or other coins, such as the Euro, involves the destruction of these old coins. So far this has been done by melting the coins in a melting furnace. Melting coins directly has a number of drawbacks, however. When coins are fed to a melting furnace, a number of persons must be present to supervise the process to ensure that all the coins are indeed fed to the melting furnace. Besides, coins have an alloy composition which is different from alloy compositions which are used for other purposes than for coins. It is not possible, therefore, to just feed the coins to a melting furnace which is in operation, the melting furnace must first be shut down and be cleaned, after which the coins can be melted, which is relatively laborious. In addition, the melting of coins will not be started before a relatively large amount of coins is present, since it is too costly to interrupt the normal melting process for a relatively small amount of coins. The drawback of this is, however, that the coins to be debased must be stored for some time before they are melted down. During this period the coins need to be stored in a guarded space.
A method for debasing coins or tokens is known from US-A-3.878.930. According to said method a brittle token, provided with an inner opening, is positioned in an aperture of slide. In the slide forces are excerted on said token to break it into pieces. Said forces are directed in a plane parallel to the plane of said token. Since each token needs to be positioned in a slide individually, the shredding of a number of tokens is relatively time consuming. The method according to US-A-3.878.930 is therefore not suitable to devaluate large amount of coins as will be necessary when changing from a national currency to the Euro.
The object of the invention is to provide a method and device by means of which the debasing of coins can take place in a relatively simple and quick manner whilst avoiding the drawbacks of the known method.
This objective is accomplished with the method according to the invention in that each coin is fed through at least two rolls rotating in opposite directions, whereby at least one roll is provided with a corrugated profile as a result of which the coins are deformed into a corrugated shape.
Damaging the coins by deforming them makes it possible to store the coins thus damaged until a suitable moment has arrived for melting down the damaged coins. Said damaging of coins can take place at the location where the coins are collected, for example at a central bank. The presence of several persons or authorized persons during the melting process is not required, since the coins no longer have a particular value. Furthermore it is possible to add a desired amount of coins, whose composition is known, to a melting process, so that a desired alloy is obtained. Furthermore it is possible to offer the damaged coins for sale elsewhere in the world as a raw material.
The coins can be provided with a corrugated profile, in a simple manner by means of said rolls, whereby a relatively large amount of coins can be debased from a random orientation in a relatively short period of time. The coins are fed through the device in a simple manner by the rotating rolls.
It has to be noted that from US-A-4.377.259 a method is known for shredding relatively large scrap metal parts into relatively small parts. Forces to cut or break metal parts are much higher then the forces necessary to deform metal parts. Debasing of coins by deforming them into a corrugated shape is not indicated nor suggested in US-A-4.377.259.
A device according to the invention is characterized in that said device comprises at least two rolls rotating in opposite directions, whereby at least one roll is provided with a corrugated profile, a feeding device for feeding coins to be debased to the rolls and a discharge device for carrying the debased coins away from the roll.
Coins can be fed to the rolls, be debased by said rolls and be carried away from said rolls relatively quickly by means of such a device. All coins are fed through said rolls, so that only debased coins will land in the discharge device.